AP United States Government Name: ______

Chapter 13 Study Guide – The Bureaucracy

Vocabulary: Be able to define and identify the significance of the following terms.

  1. Bureaucracy
  2. Cabinet department
  3. Independent executive agency
  4. Independent regulatory agency
  5. Government corporation
  6. Plum book
/
  1. Civil servant
  2. Spoils system
  3. Merit system
  4. Pendleton Act
  5. Hatch Act
  6. Sunshine laws
/
  1. Sunset laws
  2. Whistleblowers
  3. Enabling laws
  4. Negotiated rule making
  5. Iron triangle
  6. Issue network

Questions: Complete the following as you read chapter 13 in your textbook.

  1. What is a bureaucracy?
  1. How are public bureaucracies different from private bureaucracies?
  1. Describe the following models of bureaucracies.
  2. Weberian model:
  3. Acquisitive model:
  4. Monopolistic model:
  5. How does the U.S. federal bureaucracy differ from those in other countries?
  1. Describe the size of the federal bureaucracy in terms of the following.
  2. Number of employees:
  3. Number of private contractors:
  4. Size of state and local bureaucracies:
  5. Growth in spending:
  6. Explain the different types of bureaucratic agencies.
  7. Cabinet departments:
  8. Independent executive agencies:
  9. Independent regulatory agencies:
  10. Government corporations:
  11. Why are regulatory agencies necessary?
  1. How much independence do regulatory agencies really have?
  1. What is the biggest challenge created by the organization of the bureaucracy?
  1. How and why was the bureaucracy reorganized after the attacks of September 11, 2001?
  1. How do natural disasters create challenges for the bureaucracy?
  1. What factors limit the President’s ability to appoint officials to top bureaucratic jobs?
  1. Why is it difficult to fire civil servants?
  1. Describe the spoils system that began with the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
  1. What is a merit system?
  1. Why was the Pendleton Act passed, and what did it do?
  1. Why was the Hatch Act passed, and what did it do?
  1. How was the Hatch Act altered in 1993?
  1. Describe how the following attempt to reform the federal bureaucracy.
  2. Sunshine laws
  3. Sunset laws:
  4. Privatization:
  5. Incentives for efficiency:
  6. Protection for whistleblowers:
  7. How has information disclosure changed since the attacks of September 11, 2001?
  1. How effective have protections for whistleblowers proven to be?
  1. Who has the power to create federal agencies?
  1. How does a bureaucratic agency act as an unelected policymaker?
  1. What controversies arise around the implementation of laws?
  1. Describe the concept of an iron triangle.
  1. How is an issue network different from an iron triangle?
  1. In what ways does Congress exercise oversight over the bureaucracy?
  1. Why is congressional oversight difficult?